The first thing to say about Donegal versus Tyrone last Saturday, before we get to all the things the last nine minutes taught us, is that it was great entertainment. Every weekend in this year’s provincial championships and now, the All-Ireland group stage, has treated us to at least one thrilling game of Gaelic football.
Some of that has to do with the restoration of the old stuff we’ve always loved about the sport, such as distance kicking and high fielding. But Donegal against Tyrone was different. It showcased some of the new ways the rule enhancements have brought the game forward, not taken it back to some imagined previous utopia.
With 61.10 on the clock last Saturday, Paddy McBrearty hit a two-pointer that gave Donegal a two-point lead. They had finally made the burst for home. But 67 seconds later, McBrearty fumbled the ball, Tyrone turned it over and in a lightning break, Ciarán Daly set up Darren McCurry for a point.
Donegal goalkeeper Gavin Mulreany took almost 30 seconds with his kickout. He plumped for the safe option which, in this Donegal team, is a ball in Michael Murphy’s direction. Peter Teague outfielded him. Fifteen seconds later, Teague was in prime position for a pass from Eoin McElholm, but McElholm decided to go for the safety of a fisted point... and put it wide.
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It took Mulreany another 30 seconds to take the next kickout. Again, he went for Murphy, who was adjudged to have fouled Conn Kilpatrick and Tyrone regained possession. Thirty seconds after that, Darragh Canavan was fouled and he kicked the resultant free with 64.38 gone. The teams were level.
Donegal just needed the ball. Mulreany targeted Murphy a third time, but Teague won the under-hit kickout and they rolled forward. With Donegal’s lead gone, Tyrone could afford to be patient. But they could barely hold the ball for a minute under ferocious pressure. McCurry ran down a blind alleyway but managed to shovel a pass away. Daly had a handpass charged down, but Tyrone somehow regathered.
Perhaps sensing the pressure they were under, Peter Harte got on the ball 60 metres out. As he slowly advanced, Frank Burns charged towards the middle of the D. His run took the attention of the Donegal player standing sentry at the top of the new arc, allowing Harte to advance a couple of yards before sending over a two-pointer from the space vacated by that defender.
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Tyrone were now two up, with 200 seconds left. Donegal needed the ball. Mulreany went short, but his kick just beyond the 45 went over Michael Langan and over the sideline. Tyrone got the ball once again and a simple couple of passes had Kilpatrick straight through. He eschewed an easy point opportunity to go back out the field - the only moment in this entire passage where the players out-thought themselves.
It takes genuine skill and composure to do what Tyrone did
With 67.45 on the clock, Donegal decided they had to go man-for-man. Almost immediately, Tyrone ended up back in their own half. With 80 seconds left, Kieran McGeary was stripped of possession, Ciarán Thompson pounced on it, kicked it in front of him and Donegal had a strong shout for a foul on Thompson that wasn’t called. But the pressure on Tyrone was becoming intense.
As we entered the final minute, Tyrone were back within 55 metres of their own goal and Donegal’s desperation was clear – it was one-on-one all over the field again. At 69.25, Tyrone’s Cormac Quinn burst through a stretched Donegal cover and kicked a point to put them three up.
With 12 seconds left, Tyrone had eight players inside the Donegal half to stop the short one. Mulreany’s kickout once again went in the general direction of Murphy, but it flew way over his head. It was caught by Darragh Canavan, of all people, and they ran down the clock until the hooter sounded.
Tyrone had scored the game’s last five points and Donegal didn’t have clean possession for the last seven minutes and 43 seconds. It was brilliant by Tyrone - and for Tyrone - but is it good? Why is this any different from the dull, boring final stages of games that we’ve grown accustomed to over the last 10 years?
The answer is simple. It takes genuine skill and composure to do what Tyrone did in the face of quality opponents determined to win back possession.
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They held possession from 67.15 until Quinn’s point at 69.25, but Ciarán Thompson certainly should have won a free halfway through that passage. When Quinn got on the ball, with 40 seconds left, he took on the shot because he knew his team was under severe pressure. The second Donegal went man-to-man it got difficult in a hurry for Tyrone to keep the ball.
That’s what makes these endgames so enjoyable. Players who could previously run back towards the safety of their goalkeeper whenever the press got within 10 yards of them don’t have that luxury anymore. To hold onto the ball, more often than not you need to take on your man and beat him.
If you’re Donegal, you might reckon that even disregarding those five lost kickouts, they could easily have pressed the ball earlier. They might have had a bit more luck whenever they got contact on the ball carrier. Either way, if you manage to control possession for the final minutes, your will and your skills will be tested. And that’s all we want.
